


Tight Knit

by LittleLinor



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Bondage, Canon Disabled Character, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Lore Spoilers Galore, M/M, Non-Sexual Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 14:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLinor/pseuds/LittleLinor
Summary: Sometimes, Luard wants to not feel dangerous.Shiranui/Luard, fluff bondage and slow healing





	Tight Knit

**Author's Note:**

> Taking a break from all the PLOT I've been writing for NaNo to deliver some short fluff.  
> Luard is cute and always a delight to write tbh.
> 
> SPOILERS FOR THE LAST CHAPTERS OF THE LORE, this takes place A While Afterwards.

“Let me get this straight,” Shiranui said. “You want _me_ to tie you up.”  
“Yes.”  
“… I would have thought that you would understand you don't need to pay for what happened anymore.”  
“First of all, I'll _never_ pay off that debt properly, even if you've forgiven me. Second—it's not about that okay?”  
Shiranui sighed, and sat so he could pour himself some tea. Doing it with only one hand was easy enough once you knew what order to do things in.  
“Care to explain, then? It still sounds like you're trying to punish yourself to me.”  
“Listen, _maybe_ I just want to not feel dangerous for once!”  
That made him pause. Maybe there really was something there; silently, he poured a second cup and put it down closer to Luard, as an invitation to keep going and explain. Luard took it and sat opposite him, sipping at it with an almost pouting frown, lost in thought.  
“… do you ever feel like… you want to stop having power because it's too _heavy_ but you can't afford to not have it because then you'll be in danger, or something important will be.”  
“Regularly. With responsibility in general. Leading the clan brought the feeling often.”  
“… oh. I didn't think about that.”  
Shiranui smiled. Luard often got caught in his own thought processes to the point of forgetting everything around him, or being unable to put them into perspective. In the past, it had had disastrous consequences, but now that he was aware and careful, the trait was… endearing.  
There was always something so direct and earnest about him, it was hard to dislike him. Hard not to get attached.  
Well, it was far too late to fight attachment now. That ship had sailed a long time ago.  
“… thing is,” Luard finally said, unusually quietly, “I tried so hard to become powerful but now I just… I feel like a time bomb. What if I went crazy again and started attacking people!? Who could even stop me then? I'm not _going to_ but I _could_ and it's… always there at the back of my mind.”  
“… you won't. I know you well enough.” Luard sighed into his tea. Shiranui put his down and continued. “Luard, those kinds of intrusive thoughts are normal. Most people have them. But they don't act on them.”  
“Yeah, but for _most people_ it's 'what if I threw this flask against the wall and spilled everything', not 'hey, what if I destroyed the world'.”  
Well… he did have a point there. Granted, Shiranui's own intrusive thoughts had often been more violent than simple property damage, but the scale of the damage he could have caused wasn't comparable.  
“… it just feels like too much,” Luard sighed, hiding behind his cup. “I _know_ I'm not gonna do it; it's not like I _actually_ have to keep it under control because I don't even _want_ to do it, it's just thoughts, but it still _feels_ like I have to keep it under control or it'll be a disaster and…”  
He trailed off, looking away.  
“… and?”  
Sometimes, dealing with Luard reminded him of dealing with a teenager. He was older, more mature both emotionally and mentally, but his lack of experience when it came to expressing himself showed.  
Patience, as always, was key. Fortunately, where Luard's moods were as volatile as a meltwater stream, Shiranui was like the sea. More even, but also formidable once the tide rose, and capable of terrible currents.  
Where Shiranui brought stability, Luard brought change and challenge, stopped him from stagnating or settling for less than he should. It was, all things considered, a surprisingly good balance, for two people as covered in scars as them, be it inside or out.  
“… and it'd be nice to have someone _else_ in control for once. Maybe. I don't know; I'm not sure it'll _work_ but… I just want to let go a little. To just… have someone else hold the reins on that stupid power so I can breathe for a minute.”  
“Tying you up won't stop you from using your power,” Shiranui pointed out. “Even if I used sealing techniques… I don't think I could stop you if you truly tried to break free.”  
Against a Luard who really unleashed his destructive power… not even the best warriors of United Sanctuary fighting together would be enough. Much less one single, powerful but now disabled dragon.  
“I know. But I wouldn't use it anyway—it's just to get the _feeling_. It's all in the mind, right? If I tell myself 'hey, I'm in his power so I can't do anything', maybe I'll stop thinking about how I could just destroy everything. At least for a while.” He looked up, smiling a little awkwardly. “And if I get used to that feeling, maybe if I _do_ break down one day you'd actually be able to stop me?” He looked away, hid behind his cup again. “Nevermind. I'm being stupid.”  
“Hm… it's an interesting thought.”  
“Yeah, I kno—wait, you mean that?”  
“Do I usually say things I don't mean?”  
“N… no?”  
“Then why are you asking?”  
“Because I need to actually process this.” He put his cup down, and took a deep breath. “Okay. Let's do this again. Can you tie me up.”  
Shiranui smiled, amused.  
“Yes.”  
“… well that was easier than I expected.”  
Shiranui let himself smirk. Just a little.  
“Did you think I wouldn't enjoy it?”  
“I—” He glared a little. “You didn't act that into it when I asked the first time.”  
“I wanted to know your reasons.”  
“Well _fine_ then. You know my reasons. Also I'm asking _you_ because I trust you, so be grateful instead of teasing me.”  
“And what will you do if I tease you while you are tied up?” Shiranui asked, unable to hold back his amusement.  
Luard opened his mouth to retort, then deflated a little.  
“… take it gracefully like a good boy because I asked you in the first place,” he said, and Shiranui knew he really was serious. “Come on, please?”  
Shiranui reached across the table for one of Luard's hands.  
“Tonight?” he asked once Luard took it and squeezed. “I need to gather the necessary materials first; I don't keep that much rope at home these days.”  
And it would reduce the chances of being walked in on.  
“… tonight,” Luard agreed, nodding.  
Shiranui let go.  
“So, if the point is to make you feel harmless, should I also muzzle you?”  
Luard's eyes widened.  
“I didn't think of that…”  
“… that was a joke.”

Thinking about binding him, gathering what he needed: that had been simple. But once he sat down to actually do it, that night, he found himself faced with two sizeable problems.  
The first was that managing rope with his missing limbs was more complicated than it was when he had two arms and was still actively doing this kind of work regularly. His tail helped, but it was harder to keep a proper tension with it; he would make it too taunt or too loose much too easily, so he had to compensate with his good arm, or risk hurting Luard with it. And as resilient as the elf was, hurting him wasn't the plan (not tonight, anyway).  
The second was that Luard looked vulnerable, _too_ vulnerable, and Shiranui wasn't used to that.  
The last time he had looked that vulnerable, he had been in Shiranui's arms, barely just ripped out of Gyze's chest. Or minutes later, crying, staring at something only he could see, before he and Chrono Dran had taken over the battle Shiranui could no longer wage.  
Luard was strong. Luard, despite his volatile moods, was steadfast and determined where it mattered. Luard had incredible control on his body, on his magic.  
Maybe he was right. If seeing him anything other than in control felt so off to Shiranui, then there definitely was a weight on him that needed to be lifted.  
He pulled Luard almost into his lap, back to him, balancing himself with his leg on Luard's side and the base of his tail supporting the rest of his weight behind him, and lay the first loop of rope across his chest.  
“I probably don't need to say this, but if you are uncomfortable, tell me rather than struggling. And do so _before_ you start to panic,” he added, thinking back to one of their first experiments with intimacy, months before, when they had both still been too raw with their respective memories and too eager to pretend they weren't.  
“I know,” Luard sighed, but the frustration was at himself, not at Shiranui's words. To soften the blow, Shiranui brushed his tail against his shoulder comfortingly.  
Luard chuckled and leaned back against him.  
“I can't tie you up if you're pressed against me,” Shiranui pointed out. As enjoyable as it was, he didn't want to indulge in it and drop everything else they had planned.  
“I know, I know. Let me be affectionate for once.”  
Around him and through the loop the rope went, in a pattern that came back to Shiranui more easily than he had expected. It was a setup meant to restrain, with possible discomfort but no pain or damage, and little attention paid to aesthetic or even sensuality, the way he had heard some people had modified the techniques. Maybe it would be worth researching and learning those patterns, if this was going to be a regular occurrence; turning Luard into a work of art and varying the positions he made him hold would be an interesting challenge, for both of them.  
And Luard certainly had the kind of prettiness that would enhance that kind of image.  
“You can be as affectionate as you want once I'm done with this,” he said, coiling his rope around a previous taunt loop before circling his wrists, pulling them up, pressed against his back.  
The moment his hands were securely restrained and fastened to the rest of the rope harness of sorts, Luard let out a long, shaky sigh and all but collapsed in his arms, head falling forward. Shiranui had to pause what he was doing to hold him up with his hand.  
“Are you all right?”  
“ _Thank you_ ,” Luard breathed, and it was filled with such feeling that Shiranui couldn't help but pause a little longer in his work so he could press him back himself and hold him close for a moment.  
“Is that better, then?” he asked after a while, stroking Luard's chest where the rope touched his bared skin.  
“Yes.” He let out a breathy, happy whimper. “Yes yes yes please keep going.”  
He couldn't even tease him. How was he supposed to when he was asking, acting so nicely?  
He reached for another length of rope, connecting it with the previous one, and spread Luard's knees with his hand so he could reach between and under them. He tied his thighs, keeping him forced into kneeling position, then his ankles, both together and to the rest of the rope around his chest. Now, any attempt to move a part of his body would pull on another, threatening to topple him. And he was forced to keep his back straight, pulled back by the rope linking his arms to his feet.  
By then, Luard was breathing slowly, head forward and eyes closed. He barely seemed to be responding; Shiranui frowned and reached around to check up on him, but Luard smiled slightly as he felt him move. He was fine, then.  
Sighing in relief, Shiranui set to work reinforcing his harness of sorts and fastening the end of the rope, freeing his own hand and tail and leaving Luard fully restrained in front of him.  
He used the tail to tip Luard's head back towards him, pushing his chin up with the part just before the tip.  
“Is that restrained enough?” he asked, half-teasing and half completely serious.  
Luard nodded as much as Shiranui's tail let him, panting slightly.  
“… please hold me?”  
Silently, Shiranui used his leg to pull himself slightly closer, then wrapped his arm around Luard, keeping him as snug against him as he could. Now that they were actually touching, he felt the slight tremor in him, not actual shaking but something on the edge, quivering tension. He tightened his hold, making sure to support him, and wrapped his tail around his neck, not tight, but enough to control him. Luard gasped.  
“Let go,” Shiranui said. “Isn't that why you're here?”  
He tightened his tail just barely—still too loose to even press on his neck itself—and Luard shuddered and deflated, all but collapsing in his hold, breathing shakily. If it hadn't been for the ropes and Shiranui's hold on him, he would surely have fallen to the ground.  
_How long has he been needing this?_ he asked himself, somewhat irritated at himself. How did he not notice earlier? He made a point of paying attention to his subordinates' moods and needs, and Luard—wasn't his subordinate, but when they had decided that making the bet of exploring life together was worth it, they had decided to look after each other. Implicitly, at least. Wasn't it what partners _did_?  
“You seem quite harmless to me,” he said, “so willing to be under my control.”  
It wasn't quite true, and they both knew it, but there was a truth underneath it that he hoped Luard understood.  
The Luard who had given his all for reconstruction, the Luard who had set his pain aside to try and help with his, the Luard who trusted him to the point of putting himself as his mercy, who would have wanted his dreadful power gone if it didn't indirectly rob those he cared about of their strongest line of defense… That Luard was truly harmless. Not because he _couldn't_ destroy, but because he wouldn't.  
Well, he still had a penchant for collateral damage, but Shiranui had noticed that he was always careful not to let anyone get caught in it, so he generally didn't comment on it. They were all a little damaged, and needed _something_ to let that out sometimes. A bit of scorched ground here and there was well worth his partner's mental and emotional stability, in his opinion.  
Luard, thankfully, seemed to understand what he meant. A little shudder, a little hum, and he let his head fall to the side, resting in the hold of Shiranui's tail.  
Shiranui tightened his arm and held back the urge to pick him up and kiss him. This wasn't the mood he was trying to set, but Luard was, honestly, infuriatingly cute. Instead, he lowered his own head a little, closer to Luard's, and tried to relax in that position. Being able to just breathe and tune the outside world out like this would probably do both of them a lot of good.  
In the darkness of the firelit room, wrapped around Luard's warm and pliant body, it really was too easy to let himself drift. He had his eyes closed when Luard's quiet voice brought him back to full awareness.  
“… thank you.”  
Shiranui chuckled.  
“I should have put you in a different position. Then I could keep you like that for a longer time.”  
“No, this is… this is good. I like it.” He paused. “… it's tiring, but that's good.”  
Fondness and amusement rose in Shiranui's chest.  
“Hmmm… I had planned to release you before you tired yourself out,” he said, slowly bringing the actual tip of his tail close to Luard's face, the blade's flat side harmlessly hovering a breath away but still threatening enough that he could attack in a fraction of second, “but perhaps I should keep you and toy with you a little, if you're so eager to be spent.”  
Luard shuddered, yet didn't move away from the blade.  
“B-be my guest,” he panted out, but a second later he straightened a little, nervous. “Just be careful, I don't want to…”  
_… panic and react on instinct_ , Shiranui understood. That kind of accident was always traumatising, and it would ruin the feeling of harmlessness and safety Luard was trying to reach on the long term. He nodded.  
“I'll be careful.”  
It was a dangerous line to walk. The point was to make Luard feel helpless without making him feel threatened enough that his body would panic and take over. As teasing as he was when he suggested it, Shiranui knew it was a serious matter, and took things slowly.  
He let the flat of the blade rest against Luard's cheek. When he'd first taken to wearing it, the blade had been but a secondary weapon, an extra edge for his opponents to be wary about or a surprise attack while they were busy with his swords. Ever since the battle with Gyze, the tail and blade had become his most useful tools since his remaining limbs were often busy with just keeping him standing, and his control had gone from 'good' to 'masterful'. It was almost an art at this point, and sometimes Shiranui considered developing an actual style out of it, to maybe teach some of his comrades once Luard's prosthetic limbs were finally finalised and he could return to a semblance of active duty.  
Luard didn't move. He tensed, at first, but when Shiranui caressed his cheek with the blade, he exhaled and relaxed again, surrendering. Shiranui had to hold himself back from hugging him tighter.  
Instead, he kept moving, angling the blade—point first—towards Luard's neck. Luard's breath hitched, but he didn't move, staying limp in Shiranui's arms. This went beyond control, Shiranui realised. Luard could stay this abandoned because he had actually made himself reach the state he wanted, of actually feeling and believing that helplessness; if he really was helpless, then there was nothing to do, no point in fighting or struggling or even tensing. All he could do was feel.  
Shiranui wasn't sure _he_ would be capable of withstanding the feeling. He'd had enough of helplessness over the course of his life.  
“You're brave,” he murmured, grazing Luard's jaw, light enough that any mark would be gone by the morning.  
Luard didn't answer, but a small smile spread his lips around his next exhale, a tired and contented expression warming his face.

When Luard's breath started sounding strained rather than just quivering, Shiranui decided it was time to pull him back. Maybe he could be pushed further, but he didn't want to risk it, especially considering the circumstances.  
He let his tail settle on the ground, and squeezed Luard against his chest a little.  
“Luard,” he called quietly.  
Luard's breath hitched, and he straightened slightly, panting as he regained his full awareness.  
“I'm… I'm fine,” he breathed.  
“I'll untie you.”  
“… yeah.”  
He brought his tail back up to lean Luard forward against it so he could have access to his back. At first, the rope came easily enough; he unwound the thick coils that kept the whole structure in place, then freed his ankles, then his legs. But the rope around his chest and arms had tightened too much; he leaned closer and discovered with irritation that it was biting into his wrists more than he had planned.  
Undoing it with one hand was too slow; he switched Luard from his tail to his arm, and held him carefully.  
“Don't move.”  
Luard nodded. Without giving him time to tense, Shiranui slid the blade on his tail against the tauntest ropes, then carefully hooked the tip between his wrists to slice off the ones around them. Luard gasped, eyes squeezed shut; he held him with his tail again, and quickly removed what was left of the rope with his hand.  
“S-sorry,” Luard breathed.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“The rope…”  
“It's my fault to begin with,” Shiranui sighed. “It seems I still need training… I couldn't quite control the tension properly like this.”  
Luard smiled slightly.  
“Don't be too hard on yourself. It was great.” He breathed in, then released a slow, deep, comfortable exhale. “Thank you.”  
Shiranui pet his hair, a silent 'don't mention it'.  
“How are you feeling?”  
“Sleepy and mushy and emotional,” Luard chuckled. He struggled a little so he could turn part of the way in Shiranui's arms to face him. “… motivated to work harder so you can carry me to bed next time.”  
Shiranui snorted, his worry eased.  
“Maybe I can tie you _to_ the bed next time.”  
Luard's eyes closed, but he was grinning.  
“You know, I don't think I would mind.”


End file.
